U.S. patent number 5,664,840 [Application Number 08/753,336] was granted by the patent office on 1997-09-09 for headrest for motor-vehicle seat.
This patent grant is currently assigned to R. Schmidt GmbH. Invention is credited to Wolfgang Stenzel.
United States Patent |
5,664,840 |
Stenzel |
September 9, 1997 |
Headrest for motor-vehicle seat
Abstract
A motor-vehicle headrest has a hollow housing having a front
face and a back face, at least one mounting rod seated in the
housing and adapted to be secured to a motor-vehicle seat back, and
a body of soft cushion material on the front housing face. The back
face is formed with a peripheral backwardly open groove and is
substantially free of cushioning. A flexible cover sheet overlies
the cushion body and has an outer edge engaged in the groove. A
stiff rear cover has a forwardly directed rim tightly fitted in the
groove and retains the cover edge therein. The housing is formed of
a pair of joined-together cup-shaped parts. The groove is formed
with teeth engaging and holding the cover-sheet edge.
Inventors: |
Stenzel; Wolfgang (Einbeck,
DE) |
Assignee: |
R. Schmidt GmbH (Lennestadt,
DE)
|
Family
ID: |
8017210 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/753,336 |
Filed: |
November 22, 1996 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Dec 23, 1995 [DE] |
|
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295 20 526.1 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
297/391;
297/220 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60N
2/5841 (20130101); B60N 2/80 (20180201); B60N
2/838 (20180201) |
Current International
Class: |
B60N
2/48 (20060101); B60N 2/58 (20060101); A47C
007/36 () |
Field of
Search: |
;297/391,408-410,405,220,440.11,440.1,463.1,463.2,452.65,218.5,218.3,218.1,218.2 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Nelson, Jr.; Milton
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Dubno; Herbert Wilford; Andrew
Claims
I claim:
1. A motor-vehicle headrest comprising:
a hollow housing having a front face and a back face, the back face
being formed with a peripheral backwardly open groove;
at least one mounting rod seated in the housing and adapted to be
secured to a motor-vehicle seat back;
a body of soft cushion material on the front housing face, the back
housing face being substantially free of cushioning;
a flexible cover sheet overlying the cushion body and having an
outer edge engaged in the groove; and
a stiff rear cover having a forwardly directed rim tightly fitted
in the groove and retaining the cover edge therein.
2. The motor-vehicle headrest defined in claim 1 wherein the
housing is formed of a pair of joined-together cup-shaped
parts.
3. The motor-vehicle headrest defined in claim 1 wherein the groove
is formed with teeth engaging and holding the cover-sheet edge.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a headrest for a motor-vehicle
seat. More particularly this invention concerns such a headrest
which is cushioned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As described in German patent document 4,337,145 a standard
motor-vehicle headrest has a hollow housing having a front face and
a back face, at least one mounting rod seated in the housing and
adapted to be secured to a motor-vehicle seat back, and bodies of
soft cushion material on the housing faces.
Normally the two cushions are fitted and glued to the housing core.
Then a fitted textile cover is slipped over the assembly and
stitched up to complete the headrest. This entire assembly is
fairly complex and, therefore, adds considerably to the
manufacturing costs of such a headrest.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an
improved motor-vehicle headrest.
Another object is the provision of such an improved motor-vehicle
headrest which overcomes the above-given disadvantages, that is
which is of simple and inexpensive construction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A motor-vehicle headrest has according to the invention a hollow
housing having a front face and a back face, at least one mounting
rod seated in the housing and adapted to be secured to a
motor-vehicle seat back, and a body of soft cushion material on the
front housing face. The back face is formed with a peripheral
backwardly open groove and is free of cushioning. A flexible cover
sheet overlies the cushion body and has an outer edge engaged in
the groove. A stiff rear cover has a forwardly directed rim tightly
fitted in the groove and retains the cover edge therein.
Thus according to the invention the cushioning on the rear face of
the headrest, where it really serves no function, is replaced by a
stiff cover that, while being decorative, serves to retain the
cover sheet in place. In turn the cover sheet holds the front
cushion in place, as same is not otherwise attached to the housing.
Thus the headrest is of extremely simple construction but is as
functional as the more expensively made prior-art systems.
According to the invention the housing is formed of a pair of
joined-together cup-shaped parts. The groove is formed with teeth
engaging and holding the cover-sheet edge.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The above and other objects, features, and advantages will become
more readily apparent from the following description, reference
being made to the accompanying drawing in which:
FIG. 1 is a vertical section through the headrest according to the
invention; and
FIG. 2 is a large-scale view of a detail of FIG. 1.
SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION
As seen in FIG. 1 a headrest 1 according to this invention
comprises a hollow and basically rigid housing 2 made of two
cup-shaped parts joined together at a line L and having a front
face directed to the left in FIG. 1 and a back face directed toward
the right. Rods 3 (one shown) are seated in the housing 2 and have
lower ends normally engaged in a seat back.
The front face of the housing 2 is covered with a body 4 of
sponge-rubber cushioning material while the back face has no such
cushioning. A flexible textile sheet 5 is engaged over the cushion
4 to hold it in place and has an outer edge received in a
backwardly open annular groove 7 formed along the outer edge of the
back face of the body 2.
A rigid rear cover 6 made of plastic has a beaded rim 8 that fits
tightly in the complementarily shaped groove 7 to retain the cover
6 in place on the back face of the housing 2 and to retain the edge
of the front cover sheet 5 in place therein. Teeth 9 formed in the
groove 2 serve to retain the sheet 5 in place in the groove 7.
* * * * *